There are several steps required to be taken to ensure a correct and consistent product:
The Crush*– Each vintage starts with The Crush where grapes brought in from all over the world and California are dropped off on our side walk twice a year. The winemaking process starts by machine crushing and de-stemming the grapes creating the must.
Primary Fermentation – Wild yeast is neutralized and cultivated yeast is added to the must to start the fermentation process which typically completes 7-14 days after the crush. Hand punch-downs are performed 2-3 times daily, nutrients are added, and temperature is controlled to ensure fermentation is consistent, timely and as expected… we wish.
The Press* – Following primary fermentation to the desired sugar levels we’ll squeeze the last drops of wine from the must. The baby wine goes into a temporary holding tank and the skins get recycled on Monday and Wednesday after 5pm on the sidewalk by the sanitation
Secondary Fermentation – Following the press we place the wine in a temporary staging container for a few days start the process of malolactic fermentation and rack the first heavy sediment that will fall to the bottom. Malo converts the aggressive and more pronounced malic acid to softer lactic acid. Malo is not performed in white wines but has become a good habit for making reds.
Racking and Filtering* – Following the second fermentation 30-45 days after the press the wine has separated from the sediment that has collected at the bottom of the barrel and needs to be removed, barrel cleaned, returned and topped off.
Bottling* – the easiest activity to explain. When the wine is mature and ready to drink the final step is the corking event where the assembly line is urban efficient all the way down to the labels and neck caps. You can take your wine home from here, but its not advised to drink it for at least 6 months.
